Government Relations Committee Update

By Anne McDonald & Emelie Benoit Co-Chairs, LLNE Government Relations Committee

Massachusetts Trial Court Proposed Rule

The Trial Court Committee on Public Access to Court Records invites comments  on Proposed Trial Court Rule XIV Uniform Rules on Access to Court Records.

These proposed changes are a result of testimony given at the Court’s public hearing held in June 2015 at which LLNE President Melinda Kent and ABLL President Bob DiFabrizo testified and AALL sent a letter in support. The hearing was covered in our July 2015 blog posting, which includes a link to AALL’s letter of support.

Each proposed uniform rule  is accompanied by the Committee’s explanatory notes for additional guidance.  The LLNE Executive Committee is presently reviewing the proposed rules before taking a position.

Comments should be sent by email to rules.comments@jud.state.ma.us or regular mail, directed to Hon. Peter M. Lauriat, Chair, Public Access to Court Records Committee, Superior Court Administrative Office, 13th Floor, Three Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108, by March 4, 2016.

 

Massachusetts UELMA Legislation

Massachusetts UELMA bill H.43 remains alive in the House Ways and Means Committee as the 2016 legislative session gets under way.  Last year it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and was forwarded to House Ways and Means for a fiscal review. The UELMA in MA subgroup of LLNE will be hard at work to insure that the bill passes in 2016.  We thank them for their tireless efforts.

Law Librarian of Congress

The Library of Congress sent out a press release  last week announcing that Roberta Schaffer has been appointed as the new Law Librarian of Congress. Shaffer had been serving in the position in an acting capacity since Oct. 5, 2015, and had served previously as the Law Librarian of Congress from August 2009 through November 2011.  For further reading, here is the 2016 New Year’s Greeting from the Law Librarian of Congress and the FY2015 Law Library Annual Report.

The LLNE Government Relations Committee is providing this information to you to further its committee charge to keep you apprised of developments which may be of interest to you as an informed law librarian.

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